Born Beverly Sainte-Marie on the Piapot reserve in the Qu’Appelle Valley, Canada. When she was an infant, her mother died in a car accident, and a couple of Mi’kmaq ancestry from Wakefield, Massachusetts, adopted her. At the age of 3, she taught herself to play the piano. At 16, she taught herself to play guitar and compose her own songs. After graduating high school, she studied Oriental philosophy and education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. At the time, she began performing in coffeehouses, and in 1962, after receiving her degree, she moved to NYC. She became part of the bohemian art scene of Greenwich Village and soon went on tours, playing mainly at folk festivals and Indigenous reservations in Canada and the US. In 1963, a praising review in The New York Times led to a contract with Vanguard Records, and in the following year, 29-year-old Sainte-Marie released her first album, It’s My Way!. In the album, she used Indigenous vocal techniques and expressed her views on the treatment of Indigenous peoples, as can be seen in the song Now That the Buffalo’s Gone, in which she addressed Indigenous land rights and intercultural relationships. In her sixth album, Illuminations, she used electronically synthesized and manipulated instrumental sounds, becoming the first quadraphonic electronic vocal album to be recorded. In 1976, she released her 12th album, Sweet America, which included the song Starwalker – the first Indigenous-pop song, or powwow rock as Sainte-Marie dubbed it. At 35, she took time off from recording to spend time with her son. She began to paint, score films, and participate in various radio and TV shows. She joined the cast of Sesame Street for several years to raise awareness of Native American cultures. In 1982, she composed the song Up Where We Belong for the film An Officer and a Gentleman, for which she received an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe. During this period, Sainte-Marie also began experimenting with computer-based visual art, exhibiting her work in museums across North America. After 16 years, Sainte-Marie resumed her recording career with the release, via the Internet, of her 14th album Coincidence and Likely Stories. Four years later, she released the collection album Up Where We Belong. It awarded her the Juno Award for Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording. In 2017, at 76, she released her 17th album, titled Medicine Songs. For which was awarded the Juno Award for Indigenous music album of the year and the Indigenous Music Awards for Best Folk Album. Sainte-Marie used her music and voice to advocate for various political causes. She was a loud advocate against the Vietnam War and was part of the militant American Indian Movement. She claimed that her activism caused her to be blacklisted by the US administration and limited her radio airplay and performances. In 1969, she founded the Nihewan Foundation for American Indian Education and built the curriculum for its Cradleboard Teaching Project – a partnership between Native and non-Native American communities that facilitates communication through computer networking. She often made public speeches to promote social issues of the Indigenous people and served as spokesperson for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Read more...

Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Her father was a Baptist minister and a preacher, and her mother was a piano player and a gospel vocalist. By the age of 5, her parents separated, and she lived with her father and grandmother in Detroit. Franklin’s musical talent was apparent from an early age, learning to play the piano by ear and singing solo in front of her father’s congregation at the New Bethel Baptist Church. At the age of 12, her father began managing her, and they traveled and performed in various churches throughout the country. At 14, she recorded and released her first album, Spirituals. At 18, she moved to NYC and signed with Columbia Records, releasing her first single, Today I Sing the Blues, in that same year. At 19, she issued her first secular album, Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo, which included the single Won’t Be Long, which was entered to the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the R&B chart. She also scored her first international hit with her rendition of Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody. In the following year, Franklin released two more albums – The Electrifying Aretha Franklin and The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin. In 1966, at the age of 24, Franklin signed with Atlantic Records, which allowed her to return to her gospel-blues roots. Under the label, she recorded her first million-seller hit I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You). In that same year, she released her version of Respect, which became her signature song and later was recognized as a civil rights and women’s rights anthem. By the end of the 1960s, Franklin has recorded 7 records, releasing top-ten hits such as Chain of Fools, Think, and I Say a Little Prayer, for which she earned her first two Grammy awards. In 1972, at the age of 30, she recorded a live-church album titled Amazing Grace, which sold in more than 2 million copies. It is considered one of the great gospel albums in history. Her success continued to grow during the following decade, releasing albums year after year, with singles such as Spanish Harlem and Day Dreaming. At the age of 40, under her new label Arista Records, Franklin made a comeback with the hits- Jump to It and Freeway of Love. During the 1990s, Franklin juggled between different genres, recording gospel, pop, and R&B albums. At the time, she also played Aunt Em in the musical The Wiz. In 1998, 56 years old Franklin had another commercial success with her gold-selling record A Rose Is Still a Rose. For the next two decades, she recorded 7 more albums and appeared in historical events, such as President Obama’s inauguration in 2009, where she performed My Country ’Tis of Thee. In November 2017, she had her final public performance at the 25th anniversary gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Throughout her career, Franklin recorded 38 studio albums and 8 live albums and released almost 60 compilation albums. She retired after been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, from which she died at the age of 76. Read more...

Diana Ross was born and raised in Brewster Housing Projects in Detroit, Michigan. As a child, she used to play baseball and learned tap dancing at the Community Center. Ross attended Cass Technical High School, where she studied millinery, tailoring, pattern making, and clothing design, aiming to become a fashion designer. While at school, Ross worked at Hudson’s Department Store and as a hairdresser. In 1960, at the age of 15, Ross joined a women vocal group named the Primettes, singing together with Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Betty McGlown. A year later, the group won a talent competition and got an invitation to audition for Motown Records. Though they did not get accepted, the four members used to go to the labels’ headquarters to offer their help for other’s recording, providing background vocals and handclaps. Their persistence paid off, and in 1961, they signed with Berry Gordy, Motown Records’s executive, under the condition that they will rename the group. In the following year, Martin left the group, and the trio began to record under their new name – the Supremes. Their first hit, “When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes,” was released in 1963, reaching NO. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. At the end of that year, 19 years old Ross became the group’s lead singer. The following year, their single “Where Did Our Love Go” scored their first No. 1 hit, which paved the way to a streak of top of the chart’s singles. In 1967, the group was renamed Diana Ross & the Supremes, embarking on her path to a solo career. In 1969, at the age of 25, Ross recorded her first solo album and began to release one hit after another, among them are “Reach Out” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” During that time, Ross and Motown’s CEO, Gordy, became romantically involved. They broke up in 1971 while Ross was pregnant with her first child. A few months later, she married the music producer, Robert Ellis Silberstein, with whom she had two daughters. The couple divorced in 1977. In 1971, at 27, Ross made her film debut, portraying Billie Holiday in the feature film “Lady Sings the Blues,” for which she got nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for best actress. Afterward, Ross starred in a few more films, including “Mahogany” and “The Wiz.” During the 1970s, she released more than 10 albums and performed in numerous TV specials while touring throughout the country. In 1980, at the age of 36, Ross released her bestselling album “Diana,” which included the singles “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out.” In the following year, Ross left Motown and signed with RCA Records, receiving a music history severance of US$250,000. In the coming years, she released more albums, established her own production company called Anaid Productions, and participated in movies. In the early 2000s, Ross had some turbulences. First, the cancelation of the highly anticipated Supreme reunion tour, then she got arrested for a DUI, followed by a rehab from alcohol. At 62, fully recovered, Ross returned to the stage, performing in the televised concert “For One & for All,” which won the Land Awards’ Viewer’s Choice for Television’s Greatest Music Moment. Ross continued to release albums, especially collections and shelved recordings from the 70s. In her long-life career, Ross has earned 18 NO. 1 singles, recorded 24 studio albums, 5 soundtrack albums, and 5 live albums, and starred in 5 movies. Read more...

Betty Charbonnet was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a Cajun and Creole African-American family. Until the age of 6, she grew up in New Orleans, but when the Mississippi River flooded the area in 1927, the family joined the Great Migration and moved to Oakland, California. During World War II, Soskin got a job as a file clerk for the segregated International Boilermakers Union in Richmond, where the Rosie the Riveter historical site is located today. After the war, Soskin and her first husband, Mel Reid, lived in Berkeley, California, where they established a record store specializing in Gospel music. A few years later, they relocated to Walnut Creek, California, the only black family in the suburb. There, they often encountered racism and even death threats. Soskin joined the Black Caucus of the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Mount Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church. Soon, she became involved with the Civil Rights Movement, serving as a “bag lady” for the Black Panthers and writing songs for and about the cause. At the age of 51, she divorced, and not long after, she married William Soskin, a psychology professor. At the time, she became an active member of the Democratic Party, serving as a national convention delegate during the 1972 presidential campaign of George McGovern. In 1978, Soskin took over managing of the store record in Berkeley due to her first husband’s health issues. There, she became a community activist, promoting the interests of the residents and business owners. When the National Park Service began building Rosie the Riveter historical site, Soskin, among other “Rosies,” was invited to a presentation. Been the only person of color in the room and the only one who could identify the site as a place of segregation and racism, Soskin was invited to help design the reconstructions and add her perspective as a woman of color to the historical narrative of the war effort. In 2012, at the age of 85, she was appointed as a national park ranger at the site. In this position, she conducts tours and lectures about her experiences as a young black woman working during the war at the segregated union hall. As of 2021, 100 years old Soskin is the oldest National Park Ranger in the US. On March 31st, 2022, she retired at the age of 100. Read more...

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born in Houston, Texas. Her talent in dancing and singing was discovered at a young age, and by the age of 7, she won her first award at a talent show at her school. She attended a music magnet school in Houston, where she performed with the school’s choir as well as her local Church. At age 8, she and her friend Kelly Rowland joined a group called “Girl’s Tyme,” and together they appeared in the talent show “Star Search.” Beyoncé’s father, Matthew Knowles, resigned his job to serve as the band’s manager. He changed their name to Destiny’s Child, and Beyoncé became the lead vocalist. In 1998, Destiny’s Child released their first album that includes the major hit “No, No, No.” Afterward, they became one of the most popular R&B acts. Two years later, the group released its second album, “The Writing’s on the Wall,” which included the #1 singles “Bills, Bills, Bills,” and “Say My Name.” Beyoncé began to focus on individual projects, and in 2003, she released her first solo album, “Dangerously in Love,” for which she won five Grammy Awards. A year later, Destiny’s Child was officially disbanded. In her second album, “B’Day,” she continued to hit the charts with singles such as “Irreplaceable” and “Déjà vu.” In 2008, soon after she married the rapper and producer Jay-Z, she released her 3rd album “I Am… Sasha Fierce,” that includes the iconic “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” as well as “Halo” and “If I Were a Boy.” The album, named after Beyoncé’s alter ego, sold 482,000 copies in its first week. For this album, she won 6 Grammy Awards, out of 10 nominations. In 2009, at the age of 28, Beyoncé sang Etta James’s “At Last” at President Barack Obama’s first inaugural ball (she later sang the American national anthem at his second inauguration). In the following years, she founded Parkwood Entertainment, an entertainment company that manages Beyoncé’s products as a brand in music, movies, and fashion. In 2011, her 4th album “4” was released. The album was Beyoncé’s 4th consecutive number-one album in the US. Not long after giving birth to her first child Blue Ivy, she made her first appearance at the Superbowl halftime show. With 268,000 tweets per minute, the performance became the second most tweeted about moment in history. Three years later, she made her second appearance at the national event. In 2013, Beyoncé once again broke a record when her 5th album “Beyoncé” sold more than 800,000 copies in its first weekend. By that, she made history for becoming the first woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for five consecutive number-one albums in the US, a record she will break again in her sixth album. In 2016 she released an hour-long film and an album called “Lemonade,” focusing on her reeling from the romantic and sexual betrayal of her partner. This album, too, hit number one on the US Billboard 200. Beyoncé continues to work on music projects, participate in films, and tour around the world. It was once written about her – “Beyoncé doesn’t release albums; she creates cultural events.” Read more...

When she was 58 years, old Madonna stepped on the stage to receive Billboard’s 2016 Woman of the Year award. The highest-grossing female touring artist of all time was selected due to her influence on music, her vision, innovation, philanthropic work, and her contribution to feminist change towards equal rights. Madonna used the occasion to deliver a daring speech, describing the sexist and ageist behavior that she had to overcome in her career as a musician, actress, and entrepreneur. She outlined her path from her childhood in a small Michigan town, through her first years as a struggling dancer in late 1970s New York City, to becoming the “Queen of Pop Music” with 14 albums, dozen of top hits worldwide, sales of 300 million records and many awards. In 2019 she released her 14th album, ‘Madame X,’ a name given to her by Martha Graham. She delivered her first birth at 38 and is now a single mother of six. Through her career, she pushed the boundaries of music and gender politics. Her influence on women’s liberation was by presenting new ways of owning her sexuality through mainstream media. Read more...

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was born in Lake Jackson, Texas, to a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses. From a young age, her father noticed her musical abilities, and at the age of 9, she became the lead singer of her family’s band Selena y Los Dinos. At first, the band played at the family’s restaurant, but when it was bankrupt, they played everywhere they could, from street corners to fairs and weddings. Over time their popularity grew, especially Selena’s. At 13, she recorded her first Tejano music LP album, and by 17, she recorded five more albums and frequently appeared at the popular Spanish radio program – the Johnny Canales Show. At 18, while performing at the Tejano Music Awards, she was discovered by the music producer José Behar of label EMI Latin Records. She released an album every year, getting more and more popular with singles hitting the top US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart, the US Billboard Top Latin Songs chart, performing all over the US and Mexico, and winning music awards. In 1993 she released her third studio album “Live!” for which she won Best Mexican/American Album at the 1994 Grammy Award, becoming the first female Tejano artists to win a Grammy. Her successes broke barriers in the Latin music world, and she was referred to as the Queen of Tejano music. In 1990, a fan named Yolanda Saldívar founded the official Selena fan club, and Saldívar started working for Selena. Selena’s father discovered that Saldívar had embezzled more than $30,000 from the fan club. On March 31, 1995, Selena confronted Saldívar in a hotel. Saldívar took a gun out of her purse and shot Selena while she attempted escaping. Selena died on the way to the hospital when she is only 23 years old. About 35,000 fans came to the funeral to pay their last respect while the funeral was broadcasted live by the local radio station.   Read more...

Born as Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha in Honolulu to the Hawaiian Royal family. She received modern education, studying in a royal missionary school learning English, music, and touring the Western world. At 24, she married John Owen Dominis, an American government official. The couple had no children of their own, and they adopted three children. After her older brother was chosen king and her younger brother died, she was announced as the king’s heir and served as a regent during the king’s absence. In the following years, she laid the foundations as a future monarch, establishing various establishments including schools, a bank for women, and an Educational Society promoting education for girls from families with low means. In 1887, while Liliʻuokalani was in England, attending Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, the king was forced by an armed militia to sign a new constitution, which stripped the monarchy of its authorities and transferring the power to American and European businessmen. In 1891, King Kalakaua died, and at the age of 53, Liliʻuokalani became the first queen of the Hawaiian Kingdom. One of her first acts as sovereign was to establish a new constitution and to restore the power deprived of the monarchy and the Hawaiian people, but a group of American, supported by the US government staged a coup and even her attempt to appeal to the US president, Grover Cleveland, and restore the monarchy powers were failed. To avoid bloodshed and spare her people, Liliʻuokalani surrendered, and in 1894 the Republic of Hawaii was formed. In January 1885, a group of her supporters launched a rebellion in a mission to restore the monarchy. The Queen and her sympathizers were arrested and charged with treason. Liliʻuokalani signed a document formally abdicating her throne in return for the release of her supporters; she was imprisoned in her bedroom at the palace for several months. Liliʻuokalani was the last and only queen to rule the kingdom. Afterword, she retired from public life and lived as a private citizen on a small pension she received from the provisional government. Visitors frequently visited her to pay respects. She died at the age of 79 after suffering a stroke and was honored with a state funeral. Read more...

Taylor Alison Swift was born in Reading, PA, and spent her childhood in her father’s Christmas tree farm. Her interest in music started at a young age, inspired by her grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, who was a professional Opera singer. By the age of 9, Swift was already performing at local productions and events and learned vocal and acting lessons in NYC. Not long after, she learned to play the guitar and began to write her own songs. At age 14, she moved with her family to Nashville, TN, so that she can pursue a career in country music. Two years later, she released her debut single “Tim McGraw.” At 19, Swift had released her second album “Fearless” and became the highest-selling country artist of the year as well as the youngest artist to win the Grammy Award for “Album of the Year.” In the following years, she has released two more albums – “Speak Now” and “Red,” for both she received multiple awards and recognition. Only 23 years old, Swift was ranked by Forbes magazine as the highest-paid celebrity under 30, with earnings of $57 million. Over time, Swift, who began her career as a country musician, became more pop-focused, as reflected in her 5th album “1989,” which includes the #1 hits “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space.” For this album, she won the Grammy Award both for “Album of the Year” and “Best Pop Vocal Album.” A few days before the release of her 6th album, “Reputation,” the track-list was leaked. Swift’s response was to post the complete 15 songs list on her Instagram page. Eventually, the album was the top-selling album of that year. Her tremendous success was accompanied not only by talent and hard work but also with an image of a “good girl.” Then, a memorable moment happened in 2009 when while she was attempted to accept her VMA award for Best Video by a Female Artist, Kanye West stormed the stage and told her that “Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.” She shook herself up and worked even harder, determent to rise to superstar status. Another turning point in her life and career happened after winning a sexual assault lawsuit against former radio host. Swift deserted the “good girl” position and started to speak her mind, sharing her social and political beliefs with her millions of fans. By 2018 she was described by the media as a political animal, interviewing on behalf of Democrats in a midterm election in her home state of Tennessee. Since then, in addition to being a super successful musician with many records and “Firsts,” Swift is also known as a philanthropist, human rights activist, a gender equality activist, and an advocate for LGBTQ rights. She founded an education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville and donated money for various causes, such as children protection, and legal defense for women who’s been assaulted. Read more...

Dolly Rebecca Parton was born in Pittman Center, TN, the fourth of 12 children. The family had struggled to make ends, as reflected in Parton’s early songs, such as “Coat of Many Colors.” From an early age, music had a significant role in her life, at 6 she began to perform at her church, and by the age of 7 years old, she learned to play the guitar. In the next few years, she sang on local radio and television programs, and at 13, she recorded her first single. A day after her high school graduation, she moved to Nashville. After a year of working mainly as a songwriter, she signed a contract with Monument Records. The label defined her as a “bubblegum pop” singer and rejected her tendency to country music. That changed after she composed and recorded “Put It Off Until Tomorrow” with Bill Phillips, and the song reached #6 on the country chart of 1966. Afterward, she recorded her first country song “Dumb Blonde,” which reached #24 on the country chart of the following year. At 21, Parton was offered by Porter Wagoner a regular spot on his television program “The Porter Wagoner Show,” as well as on his road show. She signed a contract at the same label as Wagoner, and in the next 6 years, the two recorded a streak of top-10 singles. Simultaneously, Parton recorded solo songs, and in 1971 she released her first number-one single, “Joshua.” In 1974, 28 years old Parton parted from Wagoner and launched a solo career, within 6 years she had 8 singles reaching #1 in the country Top 10 chart. Towards the late 70’s she began to aim her music in a more pop mainstream direction and took an active role in her productions. In 1977, the album “Here You Come Again” became Parton’s first million-seller, reaching both the country chart and the pop chart. As she released one hit after another, her commercial success grew, and when “9 to 5” came out, Parton became one of the few female country singers to have a #1 single on the country charts as well as on the pop charts. Since then, she has established herself as a music icon, recording album after album, cooperating with other artists, and winning multiple awards for her music. To this day, she released more than 60 albums and received more than 100 awards. In addition to being a successful singer-songwriter, she proved her abilities as an actress; she starred in various TV shows and movies, including her own television variety show “Dolly,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Straight Talk,” and the groundbreaking film “9 to 5,” for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. Parton is also a businesswoman and philanthropist. At age 40, she established the “Dollywood Company,” which operates the theme park “Dollywood” and other entertainment facilities. She is the co-owner of the television production company “Sandollar Productions,” which produced the TV shows “Babes,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and the movies “Father of the Bride” and “Sabrina.” Her foundations take part in charity initiations and support various causes, including cancer facilities, HIV/AIDS-related charities, and the American Red Cross. Read more...